I didn't have a heart attack. I had a warning—and for the first time in my life, I listened.

The standard statistic tells us that 9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital die. It tells us we need more CPR training. That is absolutely true, and it is part of the reason I am fundraising. But my whole story is proof of another lifesaving truth: You don't have to wait for a disaster to take action.

Fifteen months ago, I didn't suffer a heart attack. Instead, I felt something wasn't right. I chose to listen to my body, and I found the courage to get checked.

That single decision changed everything.

The doctors discovered I needed quintuple bypass surgery. Unfortunately, my family history is heavy with heart disease—I lost my dad and my little brother to it, and my middle brother has had his own challenges with it over these past 30 years. The odds were stacked heavily against me. But because I listened, and because an incredible surgeon was guided by God’s hands, my life was saved before the worst could happen.

Less than 90 days after my chest was opened for a 5-way bypass, I walked these 2 full miles in this very event in 2025. That wasn't just a physical milestone; it was a living testimony.

I am walking again this year because I know exactly what is at stake. Every dollar we raise funds the research that teaches doctors how to fix hearts like mine, and funds the CPR training that saves the hearts that don't get a warning.

I walk in honor of those that have been stricken and have lost. I walk in honor of those who have had to walk the slow miles in recovery. And I walk as a living and extremely grateful miracle.